09-263-NEW/BOS 2009-080
Thurs., March 26, 2009
Contact: Ted Fitzgerald
Phone: 617-565-2074

U.S. Labor Department's OSHA and Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES join to enhance workplace safety for students in 4 New York counties

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has formed an alliance with the Wayne Finger Lakes Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) to provide students in Wayne, Seneca, Ontario and Yates counties with information and training to reduce workplace hazards.

Under the alliance, OSHA and BOCES will work together to develop training and education programs for senior and junior high school students and adults enrolled in various vocational studies programs, including construction and automotive technology and repair. The alliance will include delivery of training courses on construction and general industry safety and health.

"This alliance is an excellent opportunity to provide tomorrow's workers with the knowledge to recognize and eliminate work-related hazards that they can take with them into any workplace," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York.

"These students will be able to carry this invaluable safety and health information with them into their new careers," added Christopher Adams, OSHA's area director in Syracuse.

The alliance partners also will share information on best practices, conduct outreach activities, and encourage BOCES students and others to participate in OSHA's cooperative programs and build relationships with OSHA's area and regional offices on safety and health issues.

The alliance was signed by Kulick and Adams for OSHA, along with District Superintendent Dr. Joseph Marinelli and Career and Technical Education Director Dr. John Boronkay for Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES.

More than 1.4 million employees and nearly 28,000 employers across the U.S. have participated with OSHA in more than 580 strategic partnerships since the program began in 1998. More information about OSHA alliances in central New York is available from the compliance assistance specialist in OSHA's Syracuse Area Office at 315-451-0808. OSHA encourages the development and use of effective safety and health management systems as a means by which employers and employees can work together to identify and eliminate work-related hazards.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

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